About A Boy
by la mangue joyeuse
Summary: When Tenten started her new job as a telemarketer, she wasn't expecting chaotic office politics, new found friendship with the department gossip, or a dysfunctional relationship in a supply closet. AU [HidanTenten]
1. The Set Up

Author's note: ... I lost a bet

Title has _nothing_ to do with that Hugh Grant movie.

* * *

It wasn't permanent.

At least, it was what Tenten told herself when she wanted to scream.

The point was, this was a temp job.

She stared hard at the list of uncalled numbers, willing it to shorten as the autodialer selected a potential customer. Telemarketing wasn't a_ hard_ job per se, but the reputation certainly didn't help. People, upon realizing that yes, a real, live telemarketer was on the other line, tended to lash out.

" Hello," Tenten chirped into her headgear. "_Hi_. I'm calling on behalf of DKA-- oh, you've heard of us? We've called you before? Well, we do offer a wide range of products, so please, hear me out-- sir, that was uncalled for. ... Sir...?"

She resisted the urge to bang her head against her cubicle wall as she heard a distinct 'click' on the other line.

"Hi!" Well, there was always the next number, right? She tried again, repeating her pitch to whatever unfortunate soul happened to be on the other end, voice saccharine. "Have you considered subscribing to any of the following... you think my voice is sexy? Um."

The largest injustice, Tenten mused, was that she was under no circumstances permitted to hang up on any particularlyunsavorycustomers, forcing her to tolerate any strange mannerisms they may have.

It was still better than waitressing.

"No offense, sir, but I'd like to... what do you mean, what am I wearing?"

But not by much.

"I can't do this..." Tenten moaned ten minutes later, burying her head into her arms. A blond head peaked over the cubicle wall, smiling encouragingly.

"Hey, cheer up!" Ino, a chatty, slightly younger woman who had worked in Tenten's department for an entire year, had the remarkable ability of overhearing any humiliating moments, much to Tenten's amazement and utter horror. "It's only your second day! Besides, you just sold a two year subscription to that phone sex guy. That's pretty good, right?"

"It was still horrible." There _had_ to be a better way to pay off her college loans than participating in what was, simply put, mutual harassment. "How do you put up with these creeps?"

The other woman rolled her eyes at Tenten, sending her a look that almost resembled exasperated fondness. "I told you, you'll get used to it. Honestly, there aren't as many assholes out there as you think."

"I'll keep it in mind," she sighed. "I'm taking an early lunch, okay?"

"You sure? If you can wait until an hour, a bunch of the girls and me are going out at this new Thai place. You should join us!"

Tenten shook her head furiously. It wasn't that she disliked Ino, but the other girl had a tendency of being a little... overwhelming. "No, it's okay. I really need to relax _now_."

"Suit yourself," Ino, with a shrug, disappeared, returning to her work.

She waited a few seconds before standing up and sighed, making her way towards the employee break room.

As over dramatic as Tenten's display was, she genuinely appreciated her new job. Like a lot of her former coworkers, she wanted a desk job, if not for the lessened stress(what a ripoff that turned out to be!), then for the opportunity to sit in one spot the entire day. It was a seasonal job, too, with an option for contract renewal, allowing Tenten to leave at the end of summer if she wished. If nothing else, it was convenient—

Tenten blinked as she snapped out of her reverie, finding herself in front of the door with one hand wrapped loosely around its handle and realized it was locked.

Which was against company rules. The room was supposed to always be open—she couldn't fathom why anyone would lock—oh. Right. Someone was probably getting... _oh god_. Every instinct was telling her to leave, but dammit, her brown paper bag lunch was in there.

It looked as if Tenten would have to stomach a potentially unsavory sight. Taking a pin out of one of her buns, she slipped it inside the lock, twisting it until she heard a soft 'click.' Tenten burst through the door, looking around for the offenders. "Hey, you—!"

... only to collide face first with something unrelenting and warm and very, very much like a man's chest.


	2. The Meet Cute

Author's note: Reviews are always welcome(including constructive. ESPECIALLY constructive). They motivate me to update.

* * *

"Ow, what the... watch where you're fucking going!"

Tenten blinked, stepping back to look at the other, flushed with anger and embarrassment. He was... _cute_, she'd admit that much. Maybe even handsome. _Maybe_. _"Me_? I wouldn't have run into you if you hadn't locked_—_what _were_ you doing in there, anyway?"

"That's none of your—oh fuck, _shit_," he seemed slightly panicked as he looked over her shoulder and retreated back into the room, reaching to close the door, only to realize that Tenten was in the way. The man appeared to contemplate the situation for a moment and then, with a frustrated sigh, pulled her into the room with him.

"What are you doing?!"

This was... not good. She was locked in a room with someone she had met only seconds earlier. Someone who could easily be some weirdo trying to prey on innocent women and was just _waiting_ for a chance to—dammit, this was supposed to be a _relaxing lunch_.

"Look, just shut up for a couple of minutes, okay?" he hissed at her, letting go of Tenten's arm and watching the door a little desperately.

Tenten resisted the urge to yell out of spite. Who _was_ this creep? "I'm not going to shut up! _You_'re the one who dragged me here... ugh, forget it. I'm leaving."

"Dammit, wait! He might still be..."

His eyes widened as she began to open the door, looking at her in a way that could almost be considered pleading, if not for the slight glare. Tenten threw him an unimpressed glance before walking out into an empty hallway, rolling her eyes as he locked himself in again.

It was only until after she sat down at her cubicle that she realized that she had made it through the entire encounter(all two minutes of it) without even getting a chance to _think_ about food. Tenten sighed, rubbing her temples in frustration. What was with this job?

"You're back early," Ino appeared at the entrance of Tenten's cubicle, raising an eyebrow at her flustered appearance. "What gives?"

"... I _don't know. _I... I have no idea what just happened."

"Oh?" she asked curiously, disappearing for a moment to to bring in her chair and setting it down next to Tenten's.

The other woman blinked curiously and frowned. "Shouldn't you be working?"

"Nah," Ino said with a smile, "consider it a coffee break! C'mon, did something happen? Weren't you supposed supposed to be on your lunch hour?"

"I... I was..." she began, eyes moving to the side as she recalled what happened minutes earlier. "I went to the break room, right? But it was locked and there was this _guy_ and then I got dragged in and—"

"... You're talking too fast, Tenten," Ino said flatly, resting her chin on her hands. "Start over."

She nodded, gathering her thoughts, and managed to recount the entire incident to Ino. "It wasn't so... terrible, now that I think about it, just... _bizarre_."

"Sounds like it. Heh, you attract a lot of weirdos, don't you?" she laughed, causing Tenten's right eye to twitch slightly. "What'd he look like? I might know who he is."

"He had silverish-blond hair. I think it was gelled back, or something? Tall... um, not that bad looking, I guess?" Tenten told her as she toyed with the edge of her shirt absentmindedly, biting her lip.

"_Him_?" Ino rolled her eyes in exasperation. "That's Hidan. Works in graphics. Kind of a Jesus freak. Ignore him, he likes to pick fights with everyone. That's probably why he was hiding—geez, I'm surprised he hasn't been fired... _again_."

"Again?"

"Yeah, I think it happened, like, once, but they rehired him the next day or something. He's sort of friendly—" Tenten snorted at the word 'friendly' "—with one of the higher-ups, otherwise he'd have had his ass kicked to the curb already."

"Oh..."

... Well. It figured that she managed to run into the office asshole on her lunch break.

"You probably won't see much of him; he works way across the office. Oooh, hey, are you still taking the rest of your lunch break?"

"Not now, but..." She wasn't going to risk running into _him _again.

"Great! You should eat out with us—the girls will get a laugh out of your story," Ino said insistingly.

"I—"

"Don't be so antisocial, Tenten!"

"Okay, okay, fine," she agreed hesitantly. She _wasn't_ antisocial, just... tired.

The blond smiled brightly, rising and picking up her chair as she returned to her own cubicle. "Great! I'm going to go back to work now. Talk to you in a little while!"

This was going to be a long day.


End file.
